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Rick Perry's Snapchats Are Less Than Incredible

by Jo Yurcaba

Recently announced 2016 presidential hopeful and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry now has Snapchat, according to an Instagram post from Perry on Wednesday. In the Instagram, Perry, a Republican, wrote that if you added "this code" (meaning his Snapchat username, LOL) then you can see some behind-the-scenes moments from his campaign. So far, Perry, who is "governorperry" on Snapchat, has used the photo-sharing app to call for millennial votes and share cute photos of himself campaigning.

Perry technically announced his bid for president just seconds before his official announcement, according to the International Business Times. He sent a five-second video to his Snapchat followers just before he stepped onto a stage in Addison, Texas, to announce his official bid in the 2016 election: "I'm about to go on stage and announce for the presidency of the United States. I hope I gain your support." He kept it short and sweet, which might be a good idea since he forgot the legal voting age during his last run in 2012 and asked anyone that would be 21 years old by election day to vote for him, according to the Boston Globe.

Perry's photos from the last 24 hours include him standing outside of Iowa restaurant chain Maid-Rite with the caption "Perfect way to end a great day in Iowa," and another of him with men who appear to be veterans with the caption "Proud to have the support of these American heroes." But the question is, when will he turn up his selfie game? Or when will he get inspiration from his hipster glasses and take pensive photos of himself gazing off into Texas farmland?

Perry's strategy with Snapchat probably has something to do with reaching young voters, though he hasn't officially shared who his target audience is. Unfortunately, CNN noted that sharing seconds-long photos with young people probably won't do enough to solve the Republican Party's complicated relationship with young people. Perry and other GOP candidates all publicly oppose same-sex marriage or label it a states' rights issue despite the fact that the number of Americans under 30 who oppose same-sex marriage is at an all-time low.

Perry isn't the only candidate to join Snapchat for the 2016 presidential campaign. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, joined as as "GovernorOMalley" and teased the location of his presidential bid announcement, according to CNN. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican, also joined because "Young people are flocking to it," he told CNN.

Paul told CNN campaigning in the digital age is a matter of being aware of all the media outlets that young voters use, but, more importantly, knowing how to use them correctly. On Thursday, Paul sent out his third Snap, which was a video of him flying a remote-controlled drone around his Senate office in reference to overseas unmanned drone and missile attacks that he doesn't agree with. On Wednesday, he sent a Snap of a huge black-and-white picture of the moon under a banner that read "Hey NSA check this out! You've been 'mooned,'" according to CNN.

Perry's funniest Snap so far has been a video with the caption "Stopped for a bite to eat at the local diner," and showed Perry on a motorcycle that probably doesn't belong to him. He posed with a biker and the camera panned left to an American flag wavering above the local diner. If Perry's Snap and Paul's early Snaps are any indication, then this election season could be a hilarious one for Snapchat users, regardless of party identification.

Images: Getty Images (2)